12 Last Minute Christmas Food Gift Ideas

With Christmas rapidly approaching, many of us fall victim to gift-giving anxieties as we struggle to find perfect gifts to give our family and friends. Forget the crowded malls and put down that sweater that you know will just get buried in the back of the closet – give the gift of food and creativity instead. This compilation of local products that combine quality ingredients with solid food ethics serves as inspiration to create a food gift basket that’s sure to please all foodies.

Salt Spring Coffee – Salt Spring Island, BC
Holiday Blend

As we get older, unfortunately, our ability to spring from bed at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning dissipates. Salt Spring Coffee delivers the solution to Christmas morning clamour with a coffee that will awaken you and your holiday spirit. Flavoured with chocolate, spice and walnuts, their Holiday Blend has a balanced body and acidity and a very smooth finish that will comfortably ease you into Christmas morning.
saltspringcoffee.com

Organic Fair – Cobble Hill, BC
Organic Holiday Chocolate Bar Trio

These certified organic and fair trade chocolate bars are sure to satisfy the chocolate lovers on your list. This trio of bars, specially designed for the holiday season, bring together classic Christmas accompaniments to deliver that quintessential holiday flavour.
noel: dark chocolate with gingerbread, cranberries, and mandarin
merrymint: dark chocolate with candy cane
nutcracker: dark chocolate with spiced pecans, cashews, almonds, and coconut
organicfair.com

Natural Pastures – Comox Valley, BC
Boerenkass

Natural Pastures brings this lesser known Gouda cheese into the spotlight and it does not disappoint. This old style Dutch farmstead cheese is firmer and stronger in flavour than more commonly known Gouda cheeses. The sweet and nutty flavour of the Boerenkass has a tangy finish strong enough to hold up to bold red wines and this unique flavour is certainly not one that will get lost within jams and spreads. naturalpastures.com

Feys + Hobbs – Victoria, BC
Number Three Crisps

Feys + Hobbs deliver an all-natural sea salt artisan cracker that are handmade in small batches. The Number Three Crisps serve as the perfect canvas for your homemade creations since they pair well with both the sweet and the savoury; they’d certainly be a noted addition to a cheese plate or as the vessel for elegant hors d’oeuvres.
feysandhobbs.com

Moonstruck Organic Cheese Inc – Salt Spring Island, BC
Baby Blue

From the small herd of purebred Jersey cows, Moonstruck puts out a range of lovingly-made cheeses. Their Baby Blue is a soft surfaced ripened cheese that delivers a delicate blue cheese flavour without overwhelming the palate. A perfect addition to a gourmet food basket, Baby Blue pairs beautifully with spicy jellies and fortified wines.
moonstruckcheese.com

Merridale Cider – Cobble Hill, BC
Winter Apple Cider

From the orchards and distillery at Merridale, this after-dinner fortified wine delivers a contented conclusion to a hearty and filling Christmas dinner. Winter Apple Cider brings the comforting tastes and aromas of apple pie to a velvety smooth liquid form – sure to warm you from the inside out. Merridale offers a range of delicious pairings that are sure to satisfy every palate: cheddar, blue cheese, melons, fruit desserts, and dark chocolate.
merridalecider.com

Vancouver Island Salt Co – Cobble Hill, BC
Artisan Salts

Former chef Andrew Shepherd has created a line of handcrafted and hand-harvested all-natural and unrefined sea salts to bring out everyone’s inner chef. The range of infused sea salts offers endless possibilities to enhance your own creations with creative and delicious infusions such as blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, Merridale Cider, and bacon with maple smoked salt. Vancouver Island Salt Co takes a simple ingredient that can often be overlooked and places it center stage.
visaltco.com

The Reef – Victoria, BC
Miss Kitty’s Pepper Sauce and Miss Paulette’s Fancy Jerk Marinade

While the traditional holiday turkey dinner is comforting and delicious, the turkey coma can grow tiresome. Give someone on your list the gift of spice with the Reef Restaurant’s own housemade sauces. Miss Kitty’s Pepper Sauce is a well-balanced sauce inspired by traditional habanero sauces of the Caribbean. Miss Paulette’s Fancy Jerk Marinade is a wet jerk marinade that delivers an intense Jamaican flavour. Both these creations are such to spice up the holiday season.
thereefrestaurant.com/market

Mitchell’s Soup Co – Cowichan Valley, BC
Packaged Soup Mixes

With the chill of winter creeping in, there’s nothing like a bowl of homemade soup to restore warmth and comfort. Mitchell’s Soup Co makes that easier with their line of packaged soup mixes that are hand-made in small batches out of their family home. Each package provides you with all the dry ingredients and the directions required for delicious soups like Mulligatawny, “The Fog” Pea Soup, and Westcoast Seafood Chowder.
mitchellssoupco.com

hOMe Grown Living Foods – Cowichan Valley, BC
Apple Hazelnut RAWgles

For the health conscious eater on your list, hOMe Grown Living Foods produces unique hand-prepared vegan foods. Their Apple Hazelnut RAWgles are sweet living bagels flavoured with dates, hazelnuts, and local BC grown apples. Each RAWgle contains warm spices, Omega 3s, magnesium, and vitamin E. You can take comfort that you’re giving the highest quality gift with their commitment to using the highest quality local and organic ingredients and sustainable cultivation.
homegrownlivingfoods.ca

Old Country Market – Coombs, BC
Goats on Roof Products

While the Old Country Market showcases a great selection of local and speciality import products, they also deliver their own fun and delicious Goats on Roof products to be savoured and enjoyed. Their line of playfully named items makes for great food gifts that are sure to bring a smile to the receiver such as their Goatradish spicy horseradish, Roofs ‘n’ Hoofs Habanero hot sauce, and Roof Top Nuggets chocolate covered almonds.
oldcountrymarket.com

The Edge Food Energy Company– Qualicum Beach, BC
Food Energy Bars

If you have an active foodie on your list, The Edge has created a trio of energy bars inspired by their own active lifestyles. The trilogy was created to enhance performance before, during, and after exercise providing a complete and delicious portable meal replacement to support active lifestyles. Using organic ingredients and compostable packaging the line consists of Fortify, a chocolate almond bar; Maintain, a cranberry lime bar; and Replenish, a chocolate coconut bar.
thefoodenergy.com

 BY JENNIFER HOPKINS